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regulation

Plainridge out, Raynham in for Mass. slot-parlor license

THE MASSACHUSETTS GAMING COMMISSION issued a positive recommendation for a slot parlor license for Raynham Park and a negative one for Plainridge Racetrack, citing concern over the practices of the track's former head.

BOSTON – The Massachusetts Gaming Commission issued findings Monday on two applicants for the state’s lone slot-parlor casino license, the Boston Business Journal reported. The commission made a positive recommendation for Raynham Park LLC and a negative one for Ourway Realty LLC (Plainridge Racecourse).

The commission cited its investigation of Gary Piontkowski, former head of the racetrack, for practices including “withdrawals from the money room” and a “culture of fear and concealment.”

The commission reportedly wrote that it was not enough for Plainridge’s owners “to simply assert that they were taken advantage of by Piontkowski and pledge that they will be more involved moving forward.”

In a July 15 interview with Providence Business News, Piontkowski’s successor as president of Plainridge, John Grogan, expressed confidence in the racecourse’s chance at the slot-parlor license, saying it was “poised to move ahead aggressively” with gambling operations.

Grogan’s office had no comment on Monday’s recommendation.

The Gaming Commission’s recommendations represent the first phase of its review of applications, focused on applicants’ suitability to hold a gaming license. The second phase looks at “site, design, finance, operation, community mitigation and other attributes of a proposed project,” according to the commission.

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